The Grammys were when?

I don't give a rat's ass about the Grammys. I actually had no idea that they were even on until I heard the radio jocks talking about it this morning on the way to work. Should I care? I don't even think there are any standout entertainers these days that I would care to see. Maybe when we stop promoting crappy "musicians" and propelling them to stardom, I'll start paying attention to musical award shows.

Here's some of the "great artists" that were apparently nominated or honored at the Grammys yesterday (according to the website):
Ciara
Fall Out Boy
Keane
John Legend
SugarLand
Kelly Clarkson
The White Stripes

Not a significant band in the bunch. I've never even heard of most of them. I've heard of Ciara and the American Idol chick, and that's about it. Wait, I take that back. I had the misfortune of hearing the train wreck that is the "White Stripes" one time on The Daily Show. Absolutely horrible. Where has all the good music gone?? What happened to talented musicians, like the ones that were common in the 60's? I miss good music. This new generation of music is pretty lame and disappointing. A lot of it is just contrived, studio-tricked, pop crap that is easily marketable (and therefore, the labels sign them so they can profit).

Let me just mention some real musicians that should serve as examples for musicians today:

Stevie Ray Vaughn
Eric Clapton
The Beatles
Jimi Hendrix
The Rolling Stones
The Doobie Brothers
Pink Floyd
Led Zeppelin
Santana
The Eagles
Al Green
Earth Wind and Fire
Stevie Wonder
Frank Sinatra
Lou Rawls

I could go on, but I think you get the idea. These people actually FELT their music and it's what drove them. These days, it's the money and the fame that drives musicians. The music is just a vehicle to get them the money and fame they want, and consequently, the output is diluted.

I don't know if anybody here has ever seen Stevie Ray Vaughn play live at Austin City Limits, but that was one of the most amazing performances I've ever seen. I saw a video of it, and I was moved. The show wasn't flashy. He didn't have big pyrotechnics and a huge stage with props. It was Stevie Ray Vaughn and his beat up guitar. That's pretty much it (besides his band). He had his eyes closed, and the music was just pouring out of him as if he was just a vessel for it to travel through. He wasn't there for the fame. He was there to play music. It was his passion. If you ever get a chance to see it, I highly recommend it.

By the way, I thank my dad for introducing me to a lot of the great music played by those I listed above. Not only is my dad a great musician himself, but he also has great taste in music. I didn't grow up in the 60's, but I bet it was a really cool time to be around. I grew up in the 80's and what did we get? Cindy Lauper? Culture Club? The Bengals? No thanks. Give me the music I grew up listening to with my dad. Thanks, Pop.